Wondering
by star jelly
Summary: Dani is wondering why she never gets to tell it from her point of view. AU story sort of fits with the timeline
1. Chapter 1

I should have known from the moment I entered the room that something was wrong.

Everything was still, silent, deadly, wrong.

And yet I didn't care, I just pulled Charlie into the room with me. I pressed my body into his and allowed my tongue to run across his lips, begging entrance. He granted it and just as we fell onto the couch the lights to my apartment came on followed by a shout of SURPRISE! And that was when I knew we were screwed.

* * *

Maybe I shouldn't start this right off like this. My name is Dani, Dani Reese. If your smart enough to read a newspaper or watch the news then you've heard of me. Well actually you've heard of my partner Charlie Crews. He's the cop who was stuck in jail for twelve years and was innocent. Made lots of money from it too. It also made him the man he is today. Unfortunately the man he is today includes the Zen he learned in prison, so not all of it is a good thing.

Anyway, since being partnered with me we've solved a lot of crimes together. You may call us the "Goren and Eames" of LA. Of course none of the cops I know get this so if you don't I completely understand. Our first case together was tough. I was just out of rehab, he was just out of prison. He was Zen and I .... I definitely was _not _Zen. We didn't work together very well. And yet somehow, we did. We solved the case in good time, and on top of all that I didn't ask for a new partner! ME of all people! I had sunk so low on the police list that I would have done anything to get back up top. And yet I didn't dump Charlie. Turned out to be a good thing for me because now we have the "Goren and Eames" thing going for us. He still annoys the hell out of me with the Zen crap and now I'm beginning to pick it up which is _NOT_ a good thing.

Since then we've been through a lot of shit that has brought us closer together. We however didn't realize how close until after Charlie was shot.

I still remember that day so clearly. I had just asked him about my father, when someone knocked at the door. Charlie went to answer it and I looked away for one second. Suddenly the sound of a gun shot was ringing in my ears. I saw Charlie turn towards me and then fall to the ground. I rushed to him as his father dialed 911. I called for him, begged him not to leave me. I was covered in his blood, on my shirt, in my hair, on my hands and face. I still hadn't changed when Charlie got out of surgery. Our boss Tidwell couldn't understand why I was so concerned about him. We had been going out for a little while and I think that he was worried that I would leave him.

His fears were well justified. I left him two weeks later. I know that sounds mean but...

I don't know how to explain this! I have never really loved someone. Never. Ever. When I was in college I thought I fell in love with a boy. After I slept with him the feeling went away. And then I was with Tidwell, and that was... well it was new. And then Charlie got shot. And I thought I was going to loose him. And suddenly there was a hole in me, a hole that was Charlie. And later when Charlie woke up and smiled at me I finally realized what love is. Or at least what the beginning of love is. So I left Tidwell for Charlie.

So now you're wondering: If you left Tidwell for Charlie does anyone else know?

The answer: NO!

I think that if anyone knew (especially my father) we would have lots of heart attacks on our hands. I mean come on! Me the Queen of one night stands and pick ups dating Mr. Zen? It sounds like a bad soap opera.

I guess the next thing you're wondering is: Why are people in your house when you and Charlie were about to have passionate sex on the couch.

Well the answer to that begins last week when Charlie and I got a case...


	2. Chapter 2

This whole mess started with us getting a case.

Charlie and I can get a case a couple different ways. We can be in the squad room and Tidwell can tell us we have a case or, if we're not in yet, Tidwell calls me. That must be the only good thing about seniority, I get called first about cases. Then I get to do one of a few things, I can call Crews and tell him where the case is, or I can roll over in bed and tell him, or I can look across the kitchen table, or I can yell to Rachel or Ted to tell Charlie, I think you get the idea. Anyway, on this particular day we were doing paperwork in the squad room when we heard about the cases.

I'm sorry I have to interrupt this story again. I just have to say that it always bugs me that cop shows never talk about the paperwork. It's always oh a murderer! Let's catch them! And then they _never_ have any paperwork! Then again they also end up solving a crime in forty-five minutes. Crews and I are fast but we've never solved a murder in forty-five minutes... well we've never had enough to _arrest_ someone after forty-five minutes.

So anyway Tidwell tells us about the case yada yada ya...we go down to the car. I drive - ok so I was wrong, there are two good things about seniority. Charlie talked the whole way to the crime scene. I must admit when I was first partnered with Charlie I thought I would never get use to his talking. Now... well I still hate it, but if he were to one day stop I'd be very concerned. Charlie felt the need on this particular trip to talk about how seasons, and how there were none in prison. I resisted the urge to strangle him.

When we got to the crime scene we found a teenage prostitute who had been strangled and then locked in the trunk of a Mercedes. Except then Stark was nice enough to inform us that the young girl was not a prostitute, she was the daughter of the man who owned the Mercedes and had been reported missing that mourning. Which of course then raised the question "what was she doing there?" and "Why would someone kill her?" and "Did someone mistake her for a prostitute like we did?" In other words a lot of questions that end in Charlie saying something Zen and -unfortunately- relevant to the case. I say "unfortunately" because if it wasn't relevant I could probably make Charlie shut up.

I drove us to the house of the young girl, who's name was Julie. We asked the father the basic questions: Did his daughter have any enemies? Was there any reason she would be in that part of the city? And why in Gods name did he let her go out on a school night?

According to her father Julie had gone out Sunday night to a friends house to study for a science test they had the next day. When Julie hadn't showed up at school on Monday and then hadn't answered her phone or come home that evening. That had been when her parents had called the cops. Now I have to tell you the truth, I did not like this girl's parents. They were rich, snobby, and they said that their daughter would never dress the way she was found, yet pictures around the house, and inspection of the girls closet said otherwise. They seemed to feel as though everything their daughter did was perfect. When we asked if their daughter had any enemies they said that their daughter was loved by everyone. They then gave us the name of their daughter's best friend, Alice and the school she went to.

When we got to the school Charlie and I were both surprised when we realized it was the same school that Rachel goes to. Rachel's even in the same grade as Julie. I was pretty sure I could remember some conversations about a girl named Julie in Rachel's science class, the only problem was I couldn't remember what they were about. I figured I could ask Rachel later, if it was the same Julie. The Principal was in shock when we told him why we were there. He couldn't believe that it had happened to one of _his _ students, but he went and got Alice for us. Alice or Allie came out I could see why Julie dressed the way she had. She wearing a purple bra, with a white tee shirt that had a neckline that came just under her breasts. Her bra was covered by the tanks straps and she was wearing a skirt that was so short it made me want to arrest her for prostitution. Allie was crying uncontrollably, Crews tried his best to comfort her but it didn't help very much. Allie said that Julie had said she was coming over to study but had never made it to her house. Aliie said that she should have called the police when Julie hadn't shown. She said that someone must have grabbed Julie on her way to her house. Allie then told us that there were a few kids in their science class who didn't like Julie to our surprise Rachel was one of them. Well actually it was to Charlie's surprise, by that point I had remembered Rachel talking about both Julie and Allie. I'm pretty sure she had called them stupid bitches who should never reproduce... it was funnier when she said it.

Anyway, we thanked her for her help and asked the principal if we could talk with the kids who didn't like Julie. First the principal was an idiot and said yes, then we asked if he had the parents permission for us to question them. Then we had to wait fifteen minutes while he got it. I thought it was funny when he called Charlie and didn't realize he was in the other room talking to him. But he got consent from everyone and we went to question Rachel first.

Charlie and I both knew that she had done nothing wrong, she had been with us all night. Or most of the night... She had been with us until about ten when she went upstairs to study before going to sleep, at the same time Charlie and I went upstairs to- you get the idea

"Charlie, Dani," Rachel said puzzled when we entered the room, "What are you doing here?" Charlie sat down next to her and took her hand in his.

"Julie was killed last night."

"You're joking!"

"No."

"How-When?" she asked.

"We believe she was killed when she was going to Allie's house to study for a science test." Charlie said

"That's bullshit." said Rachel.

"Why?" I asked.

"Well first of all we don't have a science test today, and second Julie never studied for a test in her life."

"That's pretty harsh thing to say" said Charlie.

"Look with Julie it wasn't lights are on but no one's home, it was there are no lights on except this one dingy light in the basement and the person down there is slamming their head into a wall repeatedly." she said.

"_That _was harsh" I said.

"So I'll see you at home later?" Rachel asked me changing subjects.

"Yea," I said, "But I have one other thing to ask you."

"Shoot."

"Did Julie and Allie really get along?"

"Not all the time, they were always trying to get the same guys."

"Do you know these boy's names?" I asked.

"No, but Paris might."

"They have a friend named Paris?" Charlie asked.

"Yea." I looked at Charlie.

"Looks like we're going to Paris next." He said.

**So so so so so sorry that took so long to update. I have a good excuse.... well no actually the excuse only covers about 1 month of no updates, the rest are just me. Please review, I hope you enjoy.**


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